WVU gets $400K for rural health care outreach

Published 11:31 PM ET Sat, 10 Nov 2012
The Associated Press

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- The Institute for Community and Rural Health at West Virginia University is getting $400,000 for programs designed to help reduce obesity and curb deaths from stroke and heart disease.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says it's Community Transformation Grants support promotion of healthier lifestyles in small, rural communities.

Larry Rhodes is director of rural programs at WVU's Health Sciences Center. He says the funding will help support a partnership with communities that are medically under-served.

Overall, the government awarded $70 million in prevention grants to 40 recipients who work on improving the health of small communities of fewer than 500,000.

The transformation grants were launched in 2011 and funded through the Affordable Care Act, which critics call "Obamacare."